Orchestre des Champs-Elysées © OCE
Orchestre des Champs-Elysées
The Orchestre des Champs-Élysées performs the repertoire from Haydn to Debussy on period instruments. It was founded in 1991 on the joint initiative of Alain Durel, director of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Philippe Herreweghe. The Orchestre des Champs-Élysées has been in residence for several years at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and has performed in most of the major concert halls: Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Barbican Centre, the Munich, Berlin and Cologne Philharmonic Orchestras, Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, New York’s Lincoln Center, Rome’s Parco della Musica, the Lucerne and Dijon auditoriums, and more. It has also performed in Japan, Korea, China and Australia. It is conducted by Philippe Herreweghe, but several conductors have been invited to conduct it, including Louis Langrée, Daniel Harding, Christian Zacharias, Heinz Holliger, Christophe Coin and René Jacobs.
The repertoire of the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées has expanded considerably over the years, now covering more than 150 years of music. The last few seasons bear witness to this development, featuring Mozart and Haydn as well as Dvořák, Brahms, Mahler, Ravel and Stravinsky.
Under Philippe Herreweghe, the orchestra continues its rich artistic collaboration with Collegium Vocale Gent, with whom it records the greatest works of the repertoire. Recent recordings (Brahms Alt-Rhapsodie, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Bruckner Te deum, Beethoven Christus am Ölberge) have all been widely acclaimed by international critics.
Since 2014, the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées has been developing a special relationship with conductor Louis Langrée for both opera and French music: Pelléas et Mélisande (2014), La Mer (2016), Le Comte Ory (2017), Hamlet (2018), Fortunio (2019), La Valse / Boléro (2019 and 2020), Carmen and Saint-Saëns (2023). Some of these productions (Hamlet and Fortunio) have been filmed to international acclaim. In 2024, the Opéra-Comique will invite the orchestra for a Stravinsky/Ravel production (L’Heure espagnole / Pulcinella).
Questions of transmission are at the heart of the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées’ project. In the Neo-Aquitaine region, the orchestra contributes to the JOA (Jeune Orchestre de l’Abbaye) project in Saintes, an orchestra-school dedicated to specialisation on period instruments. At the same time, it is running a vast music awareness programme for secondary school students with the Chœur et Orchestre des Jeunes, in partnership with the Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers.
Over the next two years (2024-2026), the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées will be initiating the European NOE (New European Odyssey) programme based around Beethoven academies in Italy and Armenia.
The Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, associated with the TAP – Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers and in residence in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, is subsidised by the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the city of Poitiers.
The Orchestra is also supported by the Centre National de la Musique, the Institut Français and SPEDIDAM (Société de Perception et de Distribution des Droits des Artistes-Interprètes) for its tours abroad. It also receives support from Europe Créative for its NOE training programme.
It is a founding member of FEVIS (Federation of Specialised Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles). It is also a member of Scène Ensemble (formerly Profedim, the professional union for producers, festivals, ensembles and independent music promoters).
The Orchestre des Champs-Élysées relies on its patrons’ club, Contre-Champs, to develop regional development projects in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.